One guy's attempt to learn to fish better.

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I am a very amateur fisherman. I am using this website to compile data and information from my fishing experiences in hopes it will help me learn to fish better. Please feel free to add comments if you have fishing advice or tips. And look me up on the FishBrain app, which I am currently using to learn from other anglers.

Catfishing in the Potomac River In Washington, DC, June 18, 2016

Enter a captionBlue catfish caught from a boat in the Potomac River near Fletcher’s Cove.

Two days ago, it rain, so the river was swollen and a bit muddy today. I fished from 7:45 AM to 11:45 AM. It was 68 to 75 degrees and sunny. The river was flat for most of the morning, and it was very sunny. A breeze came up around 10:45, which was a relief from the sun’s rays.

My rig and bait were the usual: 1 rod with 15-pound line and another strung with 20-pound. A size 1 pyramid sinker was at the end and the bait was positioned 12- to 18-inches higher on a 12- to 18-inch” Palomar knotted line. (This is a simple method, but it does produce twisted lines, especially after dragging a catfish in.)

I positioned myself a little upstream on the DC side of the river, and a little below the shore flat where so many guys fish. I had no luck there, so I moved a little over half across the river and a touch down-river. As soon as I cast I got a hit on the drum, which produced the first 20-inch blue catfish. Then it went quiet for more than an hour. I moved down river a bit and a little more toward the Virginia shore. That was pay dirt. I’d cast down river but toward the center of the river, and the under-current pulled my line directly down river of the boat. The hits on hot dog were fast—they came within 1 to 5 minutes of casting. (Leaving a rod to sit for a longer stretch produced nothing.)

I caught 6 blue catfish, 5 of which bit on hot dog and the first of which went for Spot (Drum?) tail. All were 18- to 20-inches, except for one 12-inch pipsqueak catfish.

I seldom use hot dog for catfishing. I find cut bluegill and chicken livers far more effective. Yes, you certainly can eat blue catfish from the Potomac, and one should—they are invasive. Cut perch also are good bait for catfish. Tell me more about the book you are working on!